The IIM Kashipur’s FIED (Foundation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development) organised the 7th edition of Uttishtha 2023, an annual entrepreneurship summit, with an aim to bring socio-economic values to the Uttarakhand’s entrepreneur ecosystem by enabling raw entrepreneurship to achieve their big dreams.

The three-day event witnessed a national business plan pitching competition, an investors’ meet, an entrepreneur’s conclave and an ‘Agri Mela’ Startup Expo – Mahakumbh of Agriculture Startups.

The IIM Kashipur FIED’s Entrepreneurial Fest hosted over 100 National Agriculture Startups in ‘Agri Mela’.

The annual entrepreneurship summit, which was held from February 24-26, was supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.

IIM Kashipur FIED’s ‘Uttistha 2023’ registered startups has clocked Rs 320 crore funding for over 140 startups from industry since the last seven years.

This initiative of the IIM Kashipur has successfully clocked 29 LOIs worth Rs 5 crore funding for 15 national agri-startups.

The IIM Kashipur’s Uttishtha 2023 hosted over 100 startups and nearly 20 Venture Capitalists (VCs) to exchange their interests.

A total of 20 VCs, who participated in the event, invested in the promising agri startups.

Prof Kulbhushan Balooni, Director, IIM Kashipur said IIM Kashipur’s FIED platform has gone to a big level especially the ‘Uttishtha’.

“We are creating socio-economic impact in the home state by promoting entrepreneurship with the support of state and central government,” he said.

Prof Balooni said, “FIED team has incubated 140+ startups and out of these about 40+ startups have generated over Rs 3.2 billion funding.”

These startups have also generated direct employment of over 1200 and have impacted over half a million farmers, he said.

Prof Safal Batra, Director of FIED (Foundation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development) said FIED stands tall nationally by hosting such platforms in the Uttarakhand state. “We have seen our incubators team going in exterior and remotest places in the state to identify the entrepreneurs with unique business ideas who can represent the future of Indian Business,” he said.

During the ‘Agri Mela’, various startups presented business ideas, such as a clothing range made from bamboo fabric, interior design articles made from cow dung, a crockery range made from bamboo, a range of toys made from wood waste, a drone for pesticide spraying in agricultural fields, honey-coated dry fruits, organic fertilizer, wellness products, handicrafts, and hand-knits, as well as an immunity booster made from agricultural produce, incense sticks made of recycled flowers.